Warriors: Journey's Beginning
by Silverfeather222
Summary: Three innocent young kits are born in Fireclan, one of the great four clans in the forest. Follow them through the beginning of their exceptional journey through life in the Clan, as they experience things that no cats ever have before, as they break rules and stick to them, and as they learn what the most important thing in life is.
1. Allegiances

**I'm starting a NEW Warriors fanfic. I know that I already have another one, but I wrote it when I was eleven and twelve years old, so it's terrible! English isn't my first language, so I can't guarantee that this fanfic will be perfectly written. The chapter in this story are going to be longer, and the plot will be better. Don't forget to R&amp;R! First chapter will be up soon!**

**Allegiances:**

**FireClan:**

**Leader: ****Rowanstar — **Big dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Deputy: **** Thorngaze — **Very big black cat with piercing blue eyes.

**Medicine Cat: Berrybird — **Dappled she-cat with a reddish brown coat.

**Apprentice: Fernpaw**

**Warriors:**(toms and she-cats without kits)

**Aspenwing — **Pale gray with darker flecks, tom with dark blue eyes.

**Lionclaw — **Muscled golden tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Apprentice: Oakpaw**

**Stormclaw — **Big dark gray tom with dark blue eyes.

**Willowtuft — **Pale ginger she-cat with light green eyes.

**Silverfeather — **Pretty blue-eyed silver tabby.

**Echoflame — **White tom with a few ginger patches.

**Sandwhisker — **Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat.

**Forestpelt — **Brown tabby tom with green eyes.

**Starlingflight — **Brown she-cat with a black stripe on her back.

**Sorrelfoot — **Spotted golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

**Leafstem — **Small dusky brown she-cat with amber eyes.

**Apprentices:**(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

**Fernpaw — **Black and white she-cat with blue eyes.

**Oakpaw — **Dark gray tom with amber eyes.

**Queens:**(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

**Mossberry — ** Brown and gray she-cat, mother to Lionclaw's kits (Blazekit, a

golden brown tabby tom, Merrykit, a spotted dark brown she-cat, and Hollykit a

white she-cat covered with black and gray flecks).

**Rosepelt — **Light brown she-cat, mother to Echoflame's kits (Snowkit, a

white she-cat, and Brackenkit, a reddish-brown tom).

**Elders: **(former warriors and queens, now retired)

**Rockfoot — **Skinny gray tom with pale eyes.

**No-tail — **Very old tabby tom who lost his tail in battle with a dog

**EarthClan:**

**Leader: ****Adderstar — **Pale brown tom with amber eyes.

**Deputy: ****Scarletfur — **Reddish she-cat with dark blue eyes.

**Medicine Cat: Cedarcloud — **Tom with a unique coat with lots of different shades of brown.

**Warriors: **

**Toadsniffer — **Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Robinfeather — **Light gray she-cat with green eyes.

**Thistletail — **Big tom with spiky black fur.

**Apprentice: Brightpaw**

**Lightingface — **Tabby tom with a long lighting-shaped scar between his eyes.

**Ivythorn — **Black-and-white she-cat with blue eyes.

**Apprentice: Heartpaw**

**Coalfur — **Very dark gray tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Mapledawn — **Golden brown she-cat with green eyes.

**Owlscar — **Gray tom who was scarred by an owl as an apprentice.

**Apprentice: Kestrelpaw**

**Jaytuft — **Blue-gray tom with amber eyes.

**Blossomspots — **Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes.

**Apprentices:**

**Brightpaw — **Dusky brown she-cat with amber eyes.

**Heartpaw — **Light gray she-cat with amber eyes.

**Kestrelpaw — **Brown tom with amber eyes.

**Queens:**

**Cinderwing — **Dark gray tabby she-cat, mother of Thistletail's kits (Ravenkit, a

black tom, and Olivekit, a black-and-white she-cat).

**Hushwhisper — **Light brown tabby she-cat, mother of Coalfur's kits (Duskkit, a

brown-and-white she-cat, and Frostkit, a very light gray she-cat.)

**Elders:**

**Nettlethorn — **Once fierce brownish gray she-cat with light blue eyes.

**Badgerclaw — **Dark brown tabby tom, retired early due to severe injuries.

**AirClan:**

**Leader: ****Briarstar — **Pretty dappled brown she-cat with green eyes.

**Deputy: ****Gorseclaw — **Big fierce gray tom with dark blue eyes.

**Medicine Cat:** **Daisytail — **Cream-coloured she-cat with amber eyes.

**Apprentice: ****Sparrowpaw**

**Warriors: **

**Shrewstrike — **Dusky brown tom.

**Spiderstep — **Black tom with one white paw.

**Sagepetal — **Smoky gray she-cat with dark blue eyes.

**Apprentice: Featherpaw**

**Nimbletooth — **Small dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Specklefur — **Speckled golden she-cat with light green eyes.

**Antfur — **Gray tom with tiny black flecks on his pelt.

**Apprentice: Swiftpaw**

**Ferretgaze — **Small gray tom with blue eyes.

**Spottedpelt — **Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes.

**Apprentice: Rabbitpaw**

**Stripetail — **Brown tom with black stripes and amber eyes.

**Fawnfeather — **Light fray tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

**Apprentices:**

**Featherpaw — **Silver she-cat with dark blue eyes.

**Swiftpaw — **Light brown tom with long legs.

**Rabbitpaw — **Brown tabby tom with green eyes.

**Queens:**

**Birdswoop — **Tortoiseshell she-cat, mother of Stripetail's kits (Honeykit, a

dappled golden she-cat, and Meadowkit, a tortoiseshell she-cat).

**Dovesong — **Gray she-cat, mother of Shrewstrike's kits (Beechkit,

a gray tabby she-cat, Falconkit, a black-and-gray tom, and Whitekit

a white she-cat with blue eyes).

**Elders:**

**Lostfur — **Very old she-cat with bald patches on her once-pretty

tortoiseshell fur.

**Windclaw — **Light brown tabby tom with light blue eyes.

**WaterClan:**

**Leader: ****Minnowstar — **Spotted gray she-cat with icy blue eyes.

**Deputy: ****Birchpelt — **Brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a white paw.

**Apprentice: Mallowpaw**

**M****e****d****i****cine Cat****:**** Flowerfrost — **Pale gray with darker flecks, she-cat with green eyes.

**Warriors: **

**Finchflash — **Dusky brown tom with long ears.

**Hailclaw — **Big gray tom with extremely long claws.

**Apprentice: Reedpaw**

**Rippleshade — **Gray and black striped tom with blue eyes.

**Mudpelt — **Mottled brown tom with amber eyes.

**Brookwhisper — **Small black-and-white she-cat with blue eyes.

**Rainstorm — **Gray tom with a white muzzle.

**Tumblecloud — **Clumsy tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

**Apprentice: Dapplepaw**

**Rushclaw — **Long limbed black tom with blue eyes.

**Stonefoot — **Muscled gray tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Grassleaf — **Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes.

**Apprentices:**

**Mallowpaw — **Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes.

**Reedpaw — **Black tom with white paws and muzzle.

**Dapplepaw — **Dappled golden she-cat with green eyes.

**Queens:**

**Icestorm — **White she-cat with green eyes, mother to Mudpelt's kits

(Pebblekit, a dusky brown she-cat, and Timberkit, a brown tom with white paws).

**Mistycloud — **Very light gray she-cat, mother to Birchpelt's kits, (Splashkit, a

gray tabby she-cat, and Poolkit, a gray-and-white she-cat).

**Elders:**

**Branchfur — **Brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Otterfur — **Gray tom with blue eyes.


	2. Prologue

**Prologue:**

Mossberry was stalking a fat, plump, juicy mouse. She concentrated as she put down her paws silently so it wouldn't hear her. She closed her eyes- just a few more steps, and she would pounce on it and kill it with one swift bite. -She opened her eyes again, and crouched, ready to pounce.

"Mossberry?" a voice called.

Mossberry groaned and didn't open her eyes.

"What?" she growled, sounding slightly irritated.

"Sorry, but we're chosen for the dawn patrol, so I thought I'd wake you."

Mossberry opened her eyes, and wasn't surprised when she saw her mate, Lionclaw, gazing down at her.

"It's fine," she growled. "I just was stalking this enormous fat mouse. I almost caught it! It would have fed the whole clan."

Lionclaw blinked at her. "Errr, Mossberry, you do know that it was just a dream, so it wouldn't have really fed the clan."

She stretched her legs and stood up. She licked her muzzle. "I know," she said, looking down in embarrassment. "The idea just was appealing."

Lionclaw licked her between the ears. "Let's go outside, they'll be waiting for us."

It was cold outside, which worried her. Leaf-fall had only just begun, and already prey was scarce. If it would go on like this, cats wouldn't survive leaf-bare. The clan was lucky that there weren't any kits, because they wouldn't be able to survive.

Mossberry blinked, and looked for the dawn patrol. She could easily locate Sorrelfoot and Leafstem, FireClan's newest warriors, shivering and waiting until they would be released from their vigil. She didn't envy them.

"Come on, Mossberry, Stormclaw and Echoflame are waiting." Lionclaw mewed. He followed her gaze to Sorrelfoot and Leafstem.

"I don't envy them," he remaked, repeating her previous thoughts.

"I know," she said. "Come on, lets go."

OOO

"Finally!" Stormclaw growled, flicking his tail. "Could it have possibly taken you longer?"

Mossberry looked down. "Sorry!" she mewed quietly. "Lionclaw and I, we were… distracted."

Echoflame rolled his eyes. "Yeah, probably acting all lovey-dovey."

Mossberry glared at the young warrior. "No we weren't!"

Lionclaw flicked his tail over her back. "Don't react to Echoflame's teasing," he whispered in her ear, while Stormclaw shifted on his paws impatiently.

"Come on, the sooner we get this over with, the better." He growled.

Mossberry let out a _mrrow _of laughter. "Yes, Stormclaw. You would think that," she purred.

Stormclaw glared at her, but she could see his eyes shining with amusement.

OOO

As they patrolled the EarthClan border, Mossberry couldn't help but notice that there wasn't any scent of prey. Lionclaw seemed to notice it too.

"There isn't any sign of prey," he said worriedly. "It's not even leaf-bare yet! How will we survive?"

Echoflame grimaced. "Yeah, most of the clan are already beginning to look skinny," he glanced at Mossberry. "Though you aren't, Mossberry."

Mossberry looked at her pelt. It was sleek and thick, because she washed it frequently, but her belly did look a little round. She wondered how that was possible. She didn't eat more than the other cats in her clan did.

Stormclaw narrowed his eyes. "Echoflame's right," he commented.

"So you're calling me fat?" she mewed indignantly.

"Know we aren't. You just look well fed," Echoflame explained.

Mossberry shrugged. It was mysterious, but they really should get on with it. "Come on, lets go," she said. "I want to go back to camp as soon as possible."

They continued to patrol the border silently. There wasn't any EarthClan scent that suggested that they had crossed the border. When they had renewed the scent markers, they headed back to camp. Mossberry looked forward to settling down again in her warm nest, until she realised that she'd probably be needed for a hunting patrol, since the clan needed to be well fed.

"Lets split up and try to find some prey," Stormclaw suggested. "If you can manage to catch anything, take it to the camp immediately. I know we aren't on a hunting patrol, but the clan still needs to be fed first, especially if prey is scarce."

Mossberry knew that she wouldn't be able to catch anything- she was sleepy, and there wasn't any prey scent. It'd be more useful to go back to camp, but she had to follow Stormclaw's orders.

She sniffed, but couldn't smell anything. She stalked onward, to a more sheltered part in the forest. There might be just a little more chance of finding something over there, although all the prey had probably sheltered in their holes, just like she wanted to do right now.

After what seemed like ages, she decided that it was hopeless. She headed back to camp, and bumped into Lionclaw on the way. He had caught a mouse. It was a tiny, scrawny one, that looked like it'd only be bones with a little flesh around it, but it was a mouse. It'd feed an elder.

"Caught anything?" Lionclaw asked, looking at her like he already knew the answer.

"Not a thing," she remarked. "There isn't any sign of prey."

"I know," Lionclaw said. "I only caught this scrawny little mouse."

"It'll at least feed the elders. Rockfoot and No-tail will be happy with it. They're starting to look as scrawny and thin as that mouse!" she purred.

Lionclaw let out a _mrrow _of amusement. "I know. But we should still thank LightClan for this little piece of prey."

OOO

When they arrived in the Clan, Mossberry's gaze immediately drifted to the fresh-kill pile. She could see a small thrush and a squirrel that looked like it'd be more fur than flesh.

"I'll bring that to the elders," she offered. "They'll need it." She took the mouse from Lionclaw and stalked off to the elders den.

She squeezed herself through the narrow bramble wall into the sheltered den.

"Here, it's a mouse," she said as she gingerly put the mouse down in front of No-tail. "It's not much, but prey's scarce."

"It's fine young'un." No-tail rasped. "Have you already told Berrybird?"

Mossberry frowned. "Told Berrybird what?"

"That you're expecting kits!" No-tail exclaimed. "Surely, you already knew?"

Mossberry frowned. No-tail mustn't be able to think straight anymore. She couldn't possibly be expecting kits? They'd arrive in the middle of leaf-bare!

"Who'd want to have kits in the middle of leaf-bare?" Rockfoot questioned. "This leaf-bare is going to be hard. There'd be a good chance that the kits wouldn't survive."

_I can't possibly be expecting kits! _Mossberry thought. Still, she should check it. She'd go to Berrybird immediately.

"Errr, well, I'll go to Berrybird now," Mossberry explained. "Enjoy the mouse!"

OOO

When Mossberry arrived in the medicine cat den, Berrybird was sorting herbs. She looked up when she saw her arrive.

"Are you going to ask about the kits? I was wondering when you would," Berrybird remarked.

"Yes, well, I was going to ask if I was indeed expecting kits, but you just said so, so now there are lots of other questions that I'd like to ask, but I don't know where to begin," she rambled.

"Well, you should move to the nursery immediately," Berrybird remarked. "It's a harsh leaf-fall, and they'll arrive in leaf-bare. It'll be a terrible time to have kits."

Mossberry looked down, and asked the question where she dreaded to hear the answer of.

"Will they survive?"

Berrybird looked her straight in the eyes.

"Honestly, I don't know. But I swear to LightClan, that I'll do anything to keep them alive."


	3. Chapter 1

**Ok, this is the first chapter. I know it's been a while since I've written the prologue, so hopefully you haven't forgotten this story yet. If you have… well you're welcome to reread it :) So it's been a while, but I have done a lot with this story. I have to admit that I started writing this without having any idea where it would go. But now, I've written out a whole plot, and I've made a family tree of FireClan. So here's chapter 1 (finally)!**

**Disclaimer: if I owned this, it wouldn't be posted on this site :( **

**Chapter 1:**

"Come on, Hollykit," Blazekit urged, while he nudged his littermate with his paw "lets go outside and explore!"

Hollykit blinked up at him. "We can't go until Merrykit and Dawnkit have opened their eyes," she mewed, "you know that, Blazekit. We should wait."

Blazekit groaned and sat down. Why did Hollykit have to follow all the rules? They could easily sneak out now and go and find Oakpaw and Fernpaw, the apprentices who were really eager to show them around the camp.

"Oakpaw and Fernpaw are outside now," he commented, "they can go there whenever they want to. Why can't we?"

Hollykit rolled her eyes. "Oakpaw and Fernpaw are apprentices," she explained, "and we really should wait for Merrykit and Dawnkit. It would be unfair if we'd already go now."

"I know, I know. The idea just was… great."

Hollykit's eyes widened. "Aren't you scared at all, to go outside?" she inquired, "I mean, what if they don't like us?"

"They'll love us, silly. Why wouldn't they?"

_ "_I don't know."

They suddenly looked up, a slightly annoyed groan had startled them. "Kits, please be quiet," their mother, Mossberry mewed. "Don't wake your littermates, they need their sleep in this cold weather. And so do you."

His mother closed her eyes, and Hollykit lay down next her. Her eyes started closing slowly, and soon, Blazekit could hear her slow, steady breathing, which stated that she was asleep.

He suddenly had an idea. Why couldn't he explore the camp without Hollykit? She was boring. Blazekit flexed his claws and stood up. He walked towards the exit of the nursery, and looked outside. He shivered. It was cold! A thick layer of snow was lying on the ground, and almost all the warriors were in their nests. It would be perfect to go out and explore.

He looked around one last time, to make sure that his mother was indeed asleep. She was, so Blazekit lifted his paw and set one dainty step outside the nursery.

He nearly squeaked in surprise. The snow was soft, and cold! He hadn't expected that. He took another step, and another. He squealed as his paws sank deeply into the snow. _This is so exciting! _He thought.

He looked around the clearing. He couldn't see Oakpaw or Fernpaw anywhere, but he didn't really care. It'd be much more fun to explore everything on his own. He looked around again. There were hardly any cats outside, they probably were on patrol or sheltering in their dens. The only other cat outside would be the one who was guarding the camp. He flicked his tail excitedly— this was going to be a great adventure! There wasn't anyone who would tell him to go back to his mother, so he could do whatever he wanted to do. But what should he do?

Blazekit looked around again, and saw a small pile of prey between the warriors' and the apprentice's den. _That must be the fresh-kill pile!_ He thought. He remembered Silverfeather, who also was Oakpaw and Fernpaw's mother, bringing some prey to Mossberry. She had also complained that the prey was scarce. _That's it! _He thought. He'd go out hunting. It couldn't be that hard, could it? He'd just have to sneak up on a mouse, and be very quiet so it wouldn't hear him. When he would be just a few mouse lenghts away, he'd pounce and he'd kill it with his claws. Then he would bring it back to the clan, and they'd be very proud of him. He saw the guard of the camp— a white and ginger cat, Echoflame, he thought his name was. He musn't be seen by Echoflame, because Echoflame would be suspicious. He would be sent back to the nursery before he could say, or catch, mouse.

He decided that he'd have to go through a yucky smelling tunnel at the edge of the camp. It probably was were his clanmates made their dirt, the dirt-place tunnel. He silently headed towards it, his paws sank into the very deep snow every time he took a step. It was hard to walk like that. The snow close to the nursery was easier to walk on, because it had been trampled by so many cats.

OOO

Blazekit was surprised by how big the forest was. It stretched out so far that he couldn't even see where it ended. He felt excitement tingle in his paws. _It will be awesome to explore everything, there'll be so much to tell Hollykit about!_

Blazekit decided that he didn't know the forest at all, so he'd have to know how to get back to camp when he got tired. He looked around, and decided that he could follow his old paw prints, if not his scent trail, back to camo. He could see them easily in the snow. He shook himself, and then he set out, ready to explore the forest.

He started walking in a random direction. The snow wasn't very deep if he walked right under the trees, so that's what he did. When he decided that he was far enough from camp, he started sniffing. He would catch a mouse, or maybe two. It couldn't be that hard, because every cat could do it.

But there was no scent of prey. Blazekit walked a little further, and tried again. Still nothing. He tried again and again, but there was no sign of prey. Blazekit even started to wonder if he'd forgotten what mouse smelled like. Dejected, he started trailing through the forest.

He was getting cold, and hungry. He wanted to go back to the nursery, but it'd started snowing again. His old paw prints were erased, and he couldn't find his way back. He lay down, but then decided that it didn't help much. He'd have to find the camp, so he started walking again.

Finally, he found a stream, close to a few bushes. He decided that he'd follow it, since there was a stream close to camp. He just hoped that he'd go it the right way, to the camp, and not away from it.

He turned out to be wrong. The stream was long, and he couldn't see any sign of the camp anywhere. There was nothing that he recognised, and he began to lose hope. Suddenly, the snow on the edge of the stream where Blazekit walked by gave way, and he fell. He plunged into the ice cold stream.

For a few seconds, Blazekit couldn't feel anything. Then, he could feel thousands of sensations at the same time. His body stung, the water was so cold. It felt terrible. Blazekit tried to stay afloat, but the stream was too strong. He tried to move his paws, but the water was freezing…

_I'm going to die! _He thought miserably. He'd never be made an apprentice, and then a warrior, and maybe even clan leader. He'd die in this stupid stream, because he was dumb enough to get out of camp without permission.

_Oh, Hollykit. I wish I had listened to you!_

OOO

A strong pair of jaws grabbed his scruff. He was lifted out of the water, and he immediately started shivering. He was dropped onto the ground, and he felt a rough tongue against his pelt. He was alive! He was so happy for a moment, that he didn't think about his saviour. It was only once he had recovered from most of the shock, that he looked at the cat— no, _cats_, who had saved him. They had a strange, fishy smell, and looked at him curiously.

"Who are you?" Blazekit asked them. They really did smell yucky, so they definitely weren't cats from his clan. Were they enemies? Should he fight them? But he hadn't had any battle training, and he was way too small.

"I'm Rippleshade, and this is Stonefoot," the gray and black cat said. He flicked his tail toward a dark gray tom. "We both are WaterClan cats."

"What are you doing here, little kit?" Stonefoot asked gently. "FireClan surely wouldn't let you out of camp by yourself?"

"My name's Blazekit, and I got lost. I escaped from camp all by myself!" Blazekit explained proudly. He sat straight. "And I am not little."

Stonefoot looked at Rippleshade. "What should we do?" he asked him.

Blazekit shot him a look. "I would like to go back to my camp, please. Do you know where it is?" He knew that he shouldn't be so friendly to cats from another clan, but they had saved him, so they couldn't be too mean.

Rippleshade frowned. "We will bring you back to your camp," he started, "but first, we'll take you to our camp. Our leader will decide what to do with you."

Stonefoot grabbed Blazekit by his scruff, and started padding towards where the WaterClan camp must be. Blazekit squirmed and twitched a little. An enemy warrior was taking him away! But he was so tired, that he soon gave it up. He slowly felt his eyes close, and he drifted away in dreams about what Mossberry would think when she'd see him again.

OOO

"Are you awake, little kit?" A strange but gentle voice asked. "You've been asleep for quite a while."

Blazekit opened his eyes, and strechted his legs. He was looking into the green eyes of a pale gray she-cat. There were tons of questions he wanted to ask. He had no idea where he was, or who the she-cat was.

"Who are you? And where am I?" he asked. "I want to go home!" he exclaimed when the she-cat didn't answer him immediately.

"Well, my name is Flowerfrost. I am the medicine cat of WaterClan," she explained. "Two of our warriors saved you from drowning in the stream… but you probably can remember that," Flowerfrost added when Blazekit rolled his eyes. "You are in WaterClan camp, but don't worry, you'll be brought back soon enough."

Blazekit looked at her with wide eyes. He wanted to go home, back to Mossberry. He was very hungry, and he missed her delicious warm milk. He looked at Flowerfrost, who was staring at him with her friendly green eyes. "I want to go back to Mossberry," he whispered. "I'm hungry."

"Is Mossberry your mother?" Flowerfrost asked. "I've met her at a gathering. She's very friendly."

Blazekit nodded. Mossberry was really sweet. "Yes, can you bring me back now?" he asked hopefully.

Flowerfrost shook her head. "Sorry, but you'll have to stay here for a while. We'll bring you back soon."

Blazekit tore the reeds— which lay in the den where he was— into pieces with his claws. "But I want to go back now!" he wailed desperately. "I want _milk!" _

Flowerfrost looked at him sympathetically. "I'll bring you to one of our queens, Icestorm. She has two other kits, they're a bit bigger and older than you, but you can play with them. Come on, I'll show you the way."

That seemed interesting. Blazekit suddenly didn't want to go back to his own camp so badly anymore. He'd get to meet real WaterClan kits! He could fight with them, and drive them out of their territory! FireClan would be so proud of him. They could have more territory to hunt on, and nobody would ever be hungry again.

"Their names are Pebblekit and Timberkit," Flowerfrost said when they reached what must be the nursery. "Timberkit is the tom with the white paws, and Pebblekit is the she-cat. She's a little smaller than Timberkit."

While she said this, two kits came tumbling out of the nursery, with a white queen following them. They were big, way bigger than Blazekit and his littermates. Blazekit suddenly didn't feel like fighting them anymore— he wasn't so sure that he would be able to beat them. They actually intimidated him. He felt very tiny and helpless, with these two kits towering over him.

"Icestorm? _Who is this?_" the smallest, but still very big one— Pebblekit, asked.

"Yeah, he smells yucky!" Timberkit exclaimed. "And he's puny. I'm way bigger than him!" He raised his head and sat straight, which made Blazekit shrink.

Blazekit wanted to run away as fast as he could, but he didn't. The kits probably were way faster than him, and he didn't want to be a coward.

"Well, you don't smell that nice either." He said, before he could regret it. The kits looked surprised. _They probably didn't expect me to talk back! _Blazekit thought smugly.

Icestorm, the kits' mother, looked questionably at Flowerfrost. "Who is this little kit, Flowerfrost? Shouldn't he be with his mother?" she asked. "And _why _does he smell like a FireClan cat?"

Flowerfrost twitched her tail. "Because he _is _a FireClan kit. His mother probably still is there. Rippleshade and Stonefoot found him drowning in the stream in our territory, close to the border."

Icestorm looked at him sympathetically. "Poor little scrap," she said. She leaning towards him and nudged him with her nose. "He's barely old enough to leave the nursery!"

Flowerfrost nodded. "He'll be brought to his mother soon. And we need to tell FireClan to take better care of their kits."

Blazekit sat straight. "My clan takes _excellent _care of me!" he exclaimed indignantly. "I just was bored, so I wanted to get out of camp and catch a mouse. But I—"

He was interrupted by Pebblekit, who sprang in front of him. "Wow, cool! Did you catch one? Why didn't you catch a fish. They're way better!"

Blazekit looked down. It would be embarrassing to tell Pebblekit that he got lost, so he had to distract her. "What's a fish?" he asked. He really didn't know what a fish was. Was it a new kind of fresh-kill?

Timberkit and Pebblekit looked at him with big eyes. "You don't know what a _fish_ is?" Timberkit exclaimed. "You must be really dumb!"

"Timberkit! You can't just tell someone that they're dumb!" Pebblekit scolded. But she also looked curious. "You really don't know what fish is?"

Blazekit shyly shook his head. He hadn't expected such a reaction. Was there _anything_ that he could do without embarrassing himself, in this strange place?

"They don't eat fish in FireClan," Icestorm explained. "There' are hardly any rivers there, and forest cats prefer forest prey."

"Really? But—" Timberkit's next question was cut off by Flowerfrost.

"Enough questions for now. Blazekit, do you want to play, or do you want to rest?" Flowerfrost inquired. "I can understand if you're still tired."

Blazekit really felt like playing, but only with his own littermates. He was still a little scared of these big kits who didn't know anything about him. "I'd like to rest, please," he told Flowerfrost.

Flowerfrost nodded, and took him in her jaws. _Like I can't walk on my own! _Blazekit thought, although he didn't protest.

She took him to his nest in the medicine den, and Blazekit slumped down into it. The reedy nest wasn't the same as his comfortable, mossy one at home. He missed the warm soft fur of his littermates pressed against him, and Mossberry's soothing milky scent to help him drift away into sleep.

He wondered when he'd see her again.


End file.
